Trip to Paradise
by Glow1012
Summary: A story about Doc!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I never met the Producers, the Directors, the Writers or the Cast. I don't mean to cause problems, nausea or headaches. Please don't sue me…I have no money and I won't do well in jail. I do not own any of these characters but it would be nice if I owned every single one of them. My mother told me that housework wouldn't kill me, but why take the chance?

I must thank my amazing beta reader, Lilyjack, and the ever so lovely, LadyBrit for sharing her medical knowledge. They are both gifts in my life.

Trip to Paradise

Chapter 1

Doc pulled a carefully folded shirt from the chest of drawers and placed it in his valise. He mopped his forehead, damp in the July heat that hadn't abated with the onset of evening. The mustard smell of Charlock, his favorite wildflower, mingled with his sweat and filled the small room. He closed the valise, setting it on the floor to be retrieved the next morning along with his medical bag. Doc didn't like to travel in the heat but he had been summoned to a farm outside of Paradise. He felt a heaviness in his heart and belly that he chalked up to the sweltering heat. A little girl was ill and he was the only doctor in the area so he felt he had to go. Ordinarily Dr. Weiss would have tended to the family but he was ill himself and had sent word to Doc, so the older doctor would leave the next morning. It was a three day ride by stage and, while Doc was dreading it, he knew Dr. Weiss would do the same for him.

He decided he deserved a drink but it was too hot to sit in the smokey Long Branch where no breeze stirred, no matter how enticing the idea of Kitty's company. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey he kept in his bottom drawer and went outside, seating himself at the top of the stairs that led to his office. Doc was disappointed that there was no night breeze to break the heat that enveloped not only Dodge City but the entire state of Kansas. He took a swig of whiskey and it burned his throat as he swallowed. He stared into space, thinking about the ride ahead of him tomorrow. So it was that he didn't notice Matt as Matt started up the steps.

"Doc, you just sittin out here tonight? Why don't ya come over to the Long Branch with me and let Kitty buy us both a drink?"

Doc jumped, startled by Matt's sudden appearance. His mood was dark, he felt agitated and the lawman's presence rattled him.

"Dadblame it, Matt! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Matt removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair, feeling chastised. "Didn't think I was sneaking up on ya, its not like I was hidin."

Doc removed his glasses and cleaned them on his sweat-stained shirt. "I'm havin a drink right here. Join me if you want to."

He offered the bottle to Matt, having not brought any glasses outside with him. Matt declined.

"What time are ya leavin in the mornin, Doc?" He leaned on the bannister and placed his right foot on the step in front of him.

Doc slowly replaced his glasses, hooking the ear piece carefully over his each ear. "Stage leaves at 7. It'll take me three days to get there but I'm goin. I only hope that little girl is still alive when I get there."

Doc tried to disguise his unease but he wasn't good as masking his feelings. He didn't want to make the trip, it didn't feel right. He took another swig of whiskey.

Matt sensed Doc's discomfort with the trip and grinned mischievously. "Hey, Doc! Want me to see if Kitty can go with ya? She loves a stage ride ya know."

Doc looked at Matt pointedly and grunted. "You know Kitty Russell and stage coaches don't mix. A man with your sense of humor is wasted as a public servant, you know that? You should be back east, on the stage."

Matt nodded and chuckled at his own wit. "You wanna get breakfast in the mornin before you go?"

The older man shook his head. "No, thank you, Matt. I'm just gonna get up and go."

Matt slapped at his thigh, hoping to lose some of the dust of the day. "Well, Doc, I'm gonna continue my rounds. I'll see ya when ya get back."

Doc nodded and Matt went on his way. He took a few more drinks of whiskey and then put the cork back in the bottle. Using the bannister, he raised himself to his feet and went inside for the night. He replaced the bottle in his bottom drawer and readied himself for bed. Dressed in his nightshirt, Doc turned off the lamplight and laid down. He tossed and turned in the unrelenting heat, the sheets damp from the sweat of his body. He punched the pillow under his head and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Trip to Paradise

Chapter 2

Despite his fitful sleep, Doc began to dream.

He was on a stage, he had been riding for days. How many, he didn't know. Maybe three. His muscles were aching from the jostling and his mouth and throat were dry from the hot dust that was stirred by the horses galloping across the prairies. They were nearing their destination, he could feel that instinctively. He knew the trip was almost over. Still, he didn't feel relieved. He used his handkerchief to pat the dust and the sweat from his brow and he tried to swallow, longing for a drink of water.

As the stage pulled into the station, he strained his neck to read the name on the building but he couldn't decipher the writing. He felt prickly and just wanted something wet and cold to drink and a place to sit that didn't jostle him. After carefully departing the stage, stiff and tired, Doc retrieved his bag from the driver and headed for the relay station.

Upon entering, the room was dark and stuffy but it smelled like coffee and cornbread and Doc felt himself salivate. The sun shined through three windows in the front room and particles of dust danced in the beams. He knew the poor visibility was just the transition from outdoor to indoor but it was slightly disconcerting. He heard a man's friendly voice,

"Are you that doctor comin from Dodge?"

As his eyes adjusted, Doc could make out a man seated at a table in the room. The man sat sipping coffee and using the cornbread to sop up what was left of a plate of beans.

"I'm Doctor Adams. Who might you be?" He was happy to see the house had an indoor pump and he he sorted through the glasses on the counter until he found one clean enough to drink from and filled it with cool water. He drank two glasses of water in the time it took the man to answer.

"I'm Zeke Harris. The Station Master left a message. Don't know when he'll be back. You ain't needed out at that farm no more. That little girl done got well. Looks like you came all the way for nuthin." The man lifted the plate to his lips and slurped the remaining liquid noisily.

Doc found a coffee cup and helped himself to some coffee. He felt lightheaded and as though he were swimming through molasses. He sat down quickly and breathed deeply. It didn't help. The illumination in the house was sufficient now but Doc felt he was out of place, as if he didn't belong there.

"You all right, man?"

Doc shook his head roughly, trying to clear the cobwebs. "I think...yes, I'm all right. Can I get some of those beans?"

A woman came from the bedroom that was off to Doc's left. Zeke called out to her. "Sarah, get this Doctor somma them beans. He ain't lookin too good."

The woman hurriedly prepared a bowl of hot beans for Doc and she offered him some buttered cornbread. "Mercy, Zeke, is he all right? I cain't take care a both of em."

Doc was about to ask what she meant when he heard a girl's cry of pain from the room to his left. "Who's in there? Whats wrong with her?"

He rose from the chair and felt unsteady on his feet but there was nothing he could do about it right now. He held onto the table for support. Someone needed him. The woman, Sarah, threw a look to the bedroom door.

"There's a girl in there and she's a-havin a baby. She don't look good."

Doc nodded his head, grabbed his medical bag and entered the room. There was a girl who looked to be about 17 lying on top of a bed. She was writhing in pain and calling out for her mama. Her strawberry blonde hair was matted with sweat and plastered to her head. She tossed her head from side to side and cried out in pain. Her ivory skin was translucent. Her green eyes were glazed over with pain and fear. Doc turned to Sarah, who had followed him into the room.

"I need water, lots of it. Some hot and some cool, for her head. Also sheets, towels, whatever's here."

Sarah nodded and hurried off. Doc could hear her giving instruction to Zeke and he could hear them scurrying around in the other room.

"Young lady, I'm Doctor Adams and I'm gonna help you. Whats your name?'

The young woman called out in pain and mumbled that her name was Ella.

"Ella, this baby's coming right now. Is there anyone here with you?"

"No...doctor, I'm..." she took a breath and grunted her pain. "I'm..." another breath and pause for the pain. "I'm...on my...way to...meet...my...husband."

Sarah came up behind Doc and set a basin of cool water on the night table. "I brung this, doc. The waters a-heatin on the stove. Zeke's a-heatin it."

Doc nodded and began to wipe Ella's face with the cool water. "Do you know this girl, Sarah?"

Sarah wrung her hands and shook her head. "No, we don't know 'er. She was here when we got here. She said she come on the stage but couldn't ride no more so she got off here. She gonna be awright?"

Doc didn't respond. He didn't know the answer. "Help me get her undressed, Sarah."

Sarah took over and undressed Ella, covering her with a sheet.

Doc reached into his medical bag and withdrew a stethoscope which he used to listen to first Ella's heartbeat and then the baby's. The baby's heartbeat was much too fast and he could tell the baby was stressed. He reached for the bowl of cool water and washed his hands.

"I need you to try and relax, Ella. I have to see where the baby is."

He removed the sheet and placed his hand on her abdomen. He could tell the baby was turned crossways across her pelvis. Doc found the baby's head and placing one hand on the baby's head and the other on the baby's bottom, he began to try and turn the baby around as Ella yelped with pain. He said a silent prayer for the safety of the mother and the child.

"Please doctor...make it stop...hurting." She pleaded with him. "Help..me...help my...baby."

Doc wished he could stop her pain. He had to focus on the task at hand, not on what he wished he could do.

"How long has she been this way, Sarah?" He continued to try to turn the baby and he could feel the sweat beading on his forehead.

Sarah tried to pat the girl's forehead with some water that was no longer cool. "I don't rightly know doc. She was here when we got here yesterday. We was gonna leave but I couldn't leave her like this. The Station Manager ain't been here since right after we got off the stage. He just left her I reckon."

After ten minutes of trying to turn the baby, Doc stopped. His anxiety level was high and he motioned for Sarah to wipe the sweat from his brow. Trying to turn the baby was increasing Ella's pain and it wasn't making a difference for the baby. He felt Ella's forehead and it was warm.

"She got fever, doc? What can I do?"

"She's a little warm." He turned to the struggling girl. "Ella, when did your water break?"

The girl called out for her mama. "I..don't...know..."

Doc again listened to the heartbeats. The baby's heartbeat had slowed significantly and that was dangerous. Doc was determined that Ella shouldn't see the level of his concern. He reached in his bag and removed the forceps.

"Sarah, give these to Zeke to boil for me and then come back here. I need you."

His voice sounded firm to Sarah but Doc could hear the tremor. He hoped neither Sarah nor Ella could sense his fear and trepidation. He allowed himself a moment to reflect on the fact that he had done this hundreds of times. What was different this time? Was it because Ella was no more than a girl herself? Somewhere she had a husband who was checking every stage that came into town, waiting for his young wife so they could begin their life together as a family. Doc wanted to be sure Ella made that trip with a healthy baby in tow.

"Ella, I'm gonna do an exam. Sarah's gonna help me move you into position. Its gonna hurt but there's nothing I can do about that. I need you to help us as much as you can."

For the first time, Ella's green eyes met Doc's blue ones and she slowly nodded her head. He could see the exhaustion in her face and smiled encouragingly at her. He prayed that his smile showed more confidence than he felt. He willed himself to stop thinking and follow his training. Emotions were so damned obstructive. He shook his head to will the insecurity and the fear away.

"Good. Now Sarah, help me here." Doc and the woman moved Ella into position while the girl sobbed in pain and fear.

"Ella, I want you to try to relax. I want you to count to 100. Sarah help her count." Doc showed Sarah where to place her hands on Ella's abdomen while he worked from the inside to turn the baby. He hoped the counting would sufficiently distract Ella so she could relax a bit. It would make Doc's work easier.

Sarah began to count and the girl joined in as much as she could. "1...2...3..."

Ella cried out again. She was growing weaker and her cries of pain were not as loud. He skillfully turned the baby breech. He had struggled to get the baby's head down but settled for the breech position. He thanked God he had been able to do that much.

Zeke came to the door with the sterilized instruments. He held them with the cleanest dishtowel available. Sarah took them from him, still holding them in the towel.

Holding his hand so that the baby could not move out of place he instructed Sarah to hand him a probe. He inserted the probe to find that Ella was barely dilated. Doc could feel his own heart pounding. As the probe reached the baby, he determined that the umbilical cord was in the way of the baby's passage. Doc cursed under his breath. None of this was going the way he needed it to. Using his fingers, he worked within the small space to keep the baby's blood flow from becoming constricted and successfully moved the cord. He cheered silently for the victory and said a prayer that the baby was still alive.

"Sarah, see those forceps right there? Hand them to me. With the next contraction, I want you to push on the baby to help move it out." He showed her how to place her hands. "We've got to get this baby born. Can you do that?"

Sarah nodded and whispered something reassuring to Ella, who attempted a smile.

Doc wondered if he had ever been so tired. The smell of blood was overwhelming and the continued heat was stifling. His fingers were slippery from the blood in which he was mired. Although he wanted a drink, he was glad he hadn't brought the bottle with him. He couldn't imagine trying to save these lives while feeling hungover.

With each contraction, the baby was closer. "Good job Sarah. Ella, you're very brave and you're doing a fine. I know this is hard but you're, well, you're just amazing."

Ella was barely conscious but again she tried to manage a smile. Doc smiled back at her. Carefully, Doc inserted the first blade of the forceps. He knew that Ella was young and there was not much room as he inserted the second blade.

"Ella, I know you're exhausted but your baby needs your help now. I want you to start pushing with the next contraction. Its important that you push." He worked the baby down until he could see its bottom, laying the forceps down, he reached inside with his fingers, slowly working the baby out. Feeling that the cord was around the babies neck, Doc worked frantically to free it. He expertly worked the cord over the baby's head to move it away from the baby's neck.

"Ella, you're doing fine. Just a couple more pushes and it'll be here. Stay with me now."

Ella groaned loudly and pushed as hard as she could with the next contraction and Doc eased the baby's head out. Feeling pride and relief, he held the baby upside down and used his finger to clear the airway. At last the baby gave a feeble cry. Concerned about them both, he lay the baby on Ella's stomach while he clamped and cut the umbilical cord. Zeke had brought a basin of fresh, cold water in the room and Doc dipped his fingers in the basin and used it to stimulate the baby's breathing. The baby gave a good, strong cry and Doc smiled with relief, Sarah and Zeke cheered!

Handing the baby to Sarah, he turned his focus to Ella and saw she was bleeding excessively. Immediately the brief feeling of relief he had enjoyed turn to fear and concern. He began to pack her to stem the bleeding but, feeling her forehead, he realized she had a high fever.

"Come on, Ella! Don't leave us! Your son needs you! Stay with me!"

Unable to stop the bleeding, Doc worked desperately as Ella slipped from this life.

"Dammit! No! No!" Doc felt tears running down his cheek. "She fought so hard! Dammit!"

Zeke put his hand on Doc's shoulder and spoke softly out of respect for Ella's passing. "Doctor? I think you better take a look at the baby. He don't look right."

Doc took the pale blue baby in his arms and sat rocking quietly in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, holding the baby to his chest. He was mentally and physically exhausted. Tears rolled down his face as he recalled the recent life and death struggle to birth the quiet little bundle in his arms. It was there he sat with the baby boy with the strawberry hair as the baby followed his mother out of this life. Seeing Doc's shattered expression, Zeke and Sarah left him to grieve in private.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Trip to Paradise

Chapter 3

Doc jerked awake as the dream ended, gasping for breath, his arms reaching for a child that didn't exist. He grabbed for the water pitcher on the table next to his bed and drank his fill. He sat for a moment gathering his wits and realizing the horror was only a dream. He made himself breathe deeply, slowly regaining his equilibrium. It was a dream. He held his hands in front of him and examined them closely. There was no hint of blood. He breathed a deep sigh of relief and felt some of the tension leave his body. He stood and reached his arms over his head, stretching to circulate the blood in his fatigued body. Still, he felt burdened.

The new day did not bring a relief from the heat although the sun was barely up. He shook his head with dread when he thought about the next three days to be spent on a stage. He regretted his decision not to rise early enough for breakfast. He dressed and shaved slowly, thinking he would rather be sleeping while the day was in its infancy although after the night he had experienced, sleep did not feel a respite. He sniffed the air for the familiar scent of bacon that came each morning from Delmonico's but there was none to be had. His nostrils held the odor of blood left from his dream. Briefly he wondered if heat had an odor and, if so, what would it smell like?

With the heaviness of discontent weighing him down, Doc took the bottle from his bottom drawer and poured himself a short glass of whiskey. His feelings of impotence from the dream remained with him. He sat down hard in the chair at his desk and sipped. Normally Doc would not have alcohol this early in the morning but today did not feel like a normal day. He was ill at ease and burdened.

"Pins and needles. That's what it is, I'm on pins and needles. Its this damn trip. I don't wanna make this trip." Doc chuckled humorlessly as he realized he was speaking aloud to no one but himself. "Now I'm losing my tenuous grip on sanity."

He gulped down the rest of the whiskey, knowing he would regret having gulped whiskey on an empty stomach. He thought about taking the bottle with him but fear of dehydration in the heat made him decide against it. He re-corked and replaced the bottle, grabbed his valise, and made his way to the stage depot.

The stage was running 3 hours late which did little to calm Doc's agitated state. He paced and asked many times when the stage would be in. The answer was always the same. "Any time now, Doc."

He had gathered his valise and bag to head for Delmonico's when he heard the stage approach. As he glared down Front Street, he could see the dust raised by the galloping horses and the faded red stage coach bumping behind them. As the vehicle careened to a stop in front of him, he exasperatedly tugged on his pocket watch and his irritation reached a new level.

"You're late, Jim!" He didn't even try to hide his petulance.

Jim turned and kneeling, he reached to throw the baggage down to the departing passengers. "I know, Doc. I'm sorry. We left early this morning. We're just late, that's all I can tell ya."

Doc harrumphed, handed his valise to Jim, keeping his medical bag with him, and, grasping the window, pulled himself into the stage. The leather seat was moist with the sweat of the previous passenger and the stage smelled musty. Everything was covered in dust. Doc pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and slapped at the dust on the seat, all the while grumbling to himself. He settled himself in a forward-facing seat and waited for the other passengers. There were none.

"Well, that's fine. Just fine. I'll keep myself entertained all day." He realized he did not want to be alone with his thoughts and for a fleeting second, he thought about joining Jim and taking the shotgun position. The moment passed and Doc leaned back in the seat, wishing he had brought a book.

He closed his eyes to rest but couldn't get his mind off his dream. He felt a heaviness in his heart as though the dream had been real. He mourned the loss of the girl and the infant. He swiped his mustache and slapped his right cheek.

"This is insane. That wasn't real. It was a dream." He spoke aloud to relieve the sense of despair that had settled on him like a blanket. "I have to toss this off."

The stage continued on its bumpy ride and the dust and dirt hung in the air inside the stage, billowing through the windows. It filled Doc's nose and mouth and made him long for a drink of cold water. He was happy he had not brought the whiskey with him, that would have made the journey worse. He thought about closing the curtains to keep the dust out but knew that it would stop the hot wind that passed for breeze, stirred by the movement of the stage and he left the curtains open.

As the ride continued and the desolation from the dream lingered, Doc decided not to fight the memory any more. He pondered what he might have done differently had the dream been real. He grimaced when realized that he would have three long days to ponder.

Step by step he went through the details of the dream. He memorized every part of what he had seen in his sleep. He knew each element of the house and he recalled the detail of Zeke and Sarah's faces. Then there was Ella. In his mind, Doc relived each step of the labor process. It was difficult because he hadn't known when her water had broken and she was too weak to participate in the birth process the way he would have liked. He had attended other women in childbirth and he had lost some of them. Why did this dream haunt him so? For three days, Doc retraced the minutia of the harrowing dream.

By the third day, changing stages and spending nights in relay stations, he was worn out. The dream still hung on him like a mantle and he wanted to dream again, to make it right with his newly-found insights. The heat and the rough and tumble ride had bested him. Although he had enjoyed the view of the prairie wildflowers and grasses, he was relieved when the Paradise Station came into view.

It suddenly felt as if the world around him went into slow motion. Even the motion of the stage, as he bounced about the box, felt strangely easy. He knew that couldn't be so but the sensation and reality were not one and the same.

The stage jerked to a halt and Doc took a moment to compose himself.

"Well, here we are Doctor!"

Doc used the seat to brace as he raised himself up. After three days of being tossed about, his muscles were stiff and sore and he was slow to rise. Using the door of the stage, he gently stepped to the ground and retrieved the valise that had been tossed down. Without a word he walked into the relay station.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Trip to Paradise

Chapter 4

As Doc entered the relay station, his eyes did not immediately adjust. There were three windows in the front room and dust particles danced in the beams of the sunlight filtering through them. The room smelled of coffee and cornbread and there was no breeze. He set down his valise and medical bag and looked around. He had seen this room before. He had spent the last three days ruminating on events that began in this room. That couldn't be right, could it? It had to be a coincidence that this room and the room in his dream looked enough alike to be the same room. Doc felt his skin prickle and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He felt confused with an eerie sense of deja vu. As he looked around the room, he saw a man seated at the table, drinking coffee and eating beans with cornbread. That man couldn't be Zeke Harris...

"Are you that doctor comin from Dodge?" The voice was friendly, welcoming almost, as the man gulped some beans from the plate in front of him.

"I am Doctor Adams from Dodge. Who might you be?" Unlike in his dream Doc stood very still, awaiting the response. He wiped his mustache and rubbed his chin. The scene before him was playing out as his dream had. His dry mouth and excessive thirst were secondary to the anxiety building within him.

"I'm Zeke Harris. The Station Master left a message. Don't know when he'll be back. You ain't needed out at that farm no more. That little girl done got well. Looks like you came all the way for nuthin." The man lifted the plate to his lips and slurped the remaining liquid noisily.

Doc made his way to the sink for some water, wishing now he had brought the bottle of whiskey. He leaned on the sink for support and felt his skin turn clammy. There was a rising sense of panic within him. This really couldn't be happening, not now, not to him. He made his way over to the table and sat down hard, feeling weighty and burdened.

Zeke looked up from his dinner. "You all right, man?"

Doc glanced to his left as he heard a door open. Sarah Harris appeared, looking just as she had when he had dreamed her.

"Sarah, this is the doctor we been lookin for. He don't look too good." Zeke sounded concerned.

Sarah walked to the stove. "I'll get you some dinner, doctor." She brought a plate of beans and cornbread to him but Doc wasn't sure his nerves would allow him to eat anything.

Then he heard it, the sound he had been hoping wouldn't come. A cry of pain from a young girl in the bedroom off to his left. His eyes met Sarah's. Before he asked, he was sure he knew what the answer would be.

"Who's that? Is something wrong?"

Sarah wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "There's a girl in that room, doctor. She's a-havin a baby and she's a-havin a real hard time of it."

Doc rose and grabbed his medical bag. His heart was in his throat and he felt his hands tremble. "Take me to her."

He and Sarah made their way to the bedroom and Sarah opened the door, allowing Doc to enter the room first. The girl looked to be about 17. She had the same sweaty, matted strawberry-blonde hair that she had in his dream. She was tossing and turning and calling out for her mama. Doc squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head hard. He felt a lump forming in his throat and he swallowed several times, hoping it would dissipate. It didn't. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants and said a prayer for help.

"Doctor?" Sarah touched his arm gently. "She needs ya."

Doc snapped back to reality and moved toward the girl on the bed. "I'm Doctor Adams. I'm from Dodge City. I'm gonna help you. What's your name?" He knew her name before she spoke it.

"Ella...Grayson...I'm on...the way...to meet my...husband...I...think...my baby's...coming...now." Each word was a struggle for the girl. "Help...my...baby...please." Her green eyes were begging him.

Doc nodded but gave no verbal response. He began to work methodically, trying desperately to shut out any remnants of the dream that had tortured him for three days.

He touched his hand to Ella's forehead and her temperature seemed normal. He reached into his medical bag and pulled out his stethoscope. He wondered how much of this event would be like the dream he had suffered. The baby's heartbeat was fast. Stressed, he thought. The baby was stressed.

He asked Sarah to undress the girl and she did. It caused Ella a great deal of pain but she cooperated as much as she could. While Sarah was assisting Ella, Doc found his forceps in his medical bag. When Sarah was finished and had covered Ella with a sheet, he handed the forceps to the woman.

"Give these to Zeke to boil. That will sterilize them. While he's doing that, you come back here. I need your help."

Sarah took the instrument and hurried into the other room. Doc heard her instructing Zeke but she returned to Doc's side quickly.

"Sarah, do you know this girl? Is anyone traveling with her?"

"No, me and Zeke got here yesterday. The Station Manager left just after we got here and us and her was the only ones here."

He removed the sheet and placed his hand on Ella's abdomen and felt for the baby's position. It was turned crossways across her pelvis. He found the baby's head and placing one hand on the baby's head and the other on the baby's bottom, as Ella yowled with pain, he began his work of turning the baby.

"Help...me...help my...baby." She was sobbing.

After 20 minutes of trying, Doc succeeded in turning the baby head down. He lifted his eyes to heaven and said a prayer of thanks. It had been agony for Ella but he realized that if he had not been able to turn the baby, neither mother nor child would have survived. Would this be the change he needed to make? His heart felt hopeful.

He touched Ella's forehead but there was no fever. Another prayer of thanks.

Doc again listened to the heartbeats. The baby's heartbeat had slowed to an acceptable rate. He smiled to himself as he gave thanks for the three days he had spent on the stage, replaying the dream in his head. It would be different today. Today, no one would die.

"Ella, I'm gonna do an exam. Sarah's gonna help me move you into position. Its gonna hurt but there's nothing I can do about that. I need you to help us as much as you can."

Ella nodded that she understood and, for the first time, she managed a smile. "I...can...do that."

"Good. Ella, take some deep breaths and try to relax. Try counting to 100, it'll help take your mind off what I'm doing. Sarah's gonna help you count." He was focused on his work, not distracted in the least by his surroundings. His thoughts were only on the woman in front of him and the child she was struggling valiantly to bring into the world.

Sarah and the girl began to count. "1...2...3...4...5"

Zeke came to the door with the sterilized forceps which Sarah took from him, holding them carefully in a clean dishtowel.

Doc held the baby in place with his hand. It was important that the baby not move out of the position Doc had worked so hard to move it into. He was able to determine that the umbilical cord was blocking the baby's safe passage. Sweat was dripping into his eyes as he worked and Sarah used the dishtowel to dab the sweat from his forehead. Doc nodded appreciatively. Although he was working in a confined space, he was able to use his fingers to move the cord out of the way and keep the baby's blood flow from constricting. Within his heart, he cheered that victory but his fingers and his mind kept working. He was focused exclusively on bringing the baby into the world and he knew Ella needed all the help she could get.

"Sarah, when she has another contraction, you're going to push. You're gonna help her push this baby out." He showed her where to position her hands and how to push.

Sarah nodded that she understood. She used a cloth to dab some cool water on Ella's forehead and whispered something to her. Ella smiled.

Sarah glanced out the sole window in the tiny room. "Well, looky there, doctor. Its a-raining. It's a-coolin off a bit."

Doc smiled as the smell of rain filled the room and displaced the smell of blood that had once filled his nostrils. He stayed focused on his work.

Ella continued to cry out with each contraction and as Sarah pushed on her abdomen, Doc could feel the baby's head.

"Ella, you're doing a wonderful job! Sarah you keep pushing! This baby wants to meet its mama!"

Doc knew it was time to use the forceps. Sarah handed them to him and he inserted one blade in the tiny space and became acutely aware of how small the space was. He carefully inserted the other blade.

"Okay, Ella, now its your turn. With the next contraction, I want you to push. Push as hard as you can. I know you're exhausted but you've got to do this. Your baby needs you."

He reached inside, feeling the baby's head was where it should be. He used the forceps to help the baby work its way down. When he felt that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, Doc expertly worked the cord over the baby's head to move it away from the neck. He felt emboldened.

"Ella, you're doing great. Just a couple more pushes and it'll be here. Stay with me now."

Ella groaned loudly and pushed as hard as she could with the next contraction and Doc eased the baby's head out. As the baby left the safety of its mother's body Doc inspected it closely, looking for signs of trouble or distress. There were none. Inwardly, Doc rejoiced as the baby came into the world. The baby was pink and squirming and gave a strong, healthy yowl. He laughed out loud as he lay the baby on Ella's stomach to clamp and cut the cord.

"Ella, its a boy! You have a beautiful, healthy boy! Welcome to the world little fella!"

Ella propped herself up on her elbows to get her first view of her son. Doc watched her with delight. He wasn't sure he could be prouder if the baby were his own son. Ella beamed and so did Doc. Sarah and Zeke, who had quietly come into the room, cheered! Doc felt tears run down his face!

"You did it!" In that moment, he realized he did not feel fear or panic or insecurity. Doc felt strong and confident and jubilant!

Sarah took the baby to wash him and wrap him in a blanket as Doc attended to Ella. She beamed and reached out for her newborn son. Doc took the baby and handed him gently to his mother who began to nurse him.

"Lets give them some privacy. Sarah, I think I'll take you up on that offer of dinner now." Doc was tired but satisfied.

It wasn't until he sat down and began to eat that he understood the purpose of his dream. Had not the dream been so harrowing, he would not have been prepared for the events of this day. He said a silent prayer of thanks that he had not focused on the dream while attending to Ella, he had reverted to his education and skill. He dunked his cornbread in the soup from the beans and ate heartily.

After he had eaten, he returned to the room to check on Ella and the baby. She was humming softly to her son who was cooing in his sleep. She looked up as Doc entered.

"You know, Henry - he's my husband – and I talked a lot about baby names but I've decided. His name is Henry Adam. After you, doctor. If you hadn't shown up, we wouldn't have made it."

Doc felt his eyes brim with tears. He didn't know why he was so moved by this moment but he accepted that he was.

"Do you want to hold him?"

He nodded. "I'd love to hold him if you promise to get some sleep."

The new mother nodded and handed the baby to Doc. He happily took the baby in his arms and made his way to a rocking chair in the corner of the room. As he sat, holding the baby to his chest, he watched Ella drift off to sleep. He wrapped the baby tighter in the blanket to guard him against the chilly air that now breezed through the window and he rocked in rhythm with the rain as the little boy with the strawberry hair followed his mother into the land of sweet dreams and happy endings.

The End


End file.
